The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) maintains a list of feed ingredient names and the definitions in the AAFCO Official Publication. This list is central to harmonizing inter-state trade for animal feed and is referenced by international organizations. In late 2024, it was announced that the AAFCO “ingredient definition” process was going to change when the memorandum of understanding between AAFCO and the FDA came to an end. The FDA quickly put forward a draft guidance that has since been finalized for Animal Food Ingredient Consultation (AFIC) process as an alternative pathway, complementing the Food Additive Petition (FAP) and Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) notifications that exist currently. Similarly, AAFCO released a draft proposal from Kansas State University (KSU) for a new AAFCO ingredient definition process that does not involve the FDA.
